Strengthen the Safe Families Coordination Unit (SFCU)
Responsible government
- Tasmania
Fourth Action Plan actions
- Improve support and service system responses
- 19 Build the evidence base to inform responses to domestic, family and sexual violence by strengthening the focus on what works to reduce violence, improving data and supporting the Fourth Action Plan priorities.
What are we doing?
The Tasmanian Government established the Safe Families Coordination Unit (SFCU), bringing together government agencies in a statewide unit to provide timely responses to family violence. The SFCU has access to the best available information from across government, to ensure a collaborative approach that supports identified families at risk and holds perpetrators of family violence to account.
- Strengthen the Safe Families Coordination Unit (SFCU) is an action under Safe Homes, Families, Communities: Tasmania’s action plan for family and sexual violence 2019-2022 (Safe Homes, Families, Communities), which invests $26 million over three years from 2019-20 to 2021-22 to prevent and respond to family and sexual violence in Tasmania.
What have we achieved so far?
Safe Homes, Families, Communities commenced implementation on 1 July 2019. The Safe Families Coordination Unit is an ongoing initiative that commenced under the previous action plan, Safe Homes, Safe Families: Tasmania’s Family Violence Action Plan 2015-2020. Additional resourcing has been provided under Safe Homes, Families, Communities.
In 2019-20, an additional Department of Education Investigator and new Data Analyst commenced in the SFCU.
What is next?
Ongoing delivery of services by the SFCU.
What difference will we make?
The Tasmanian Government is committed to building on initiatives being delivered through individual portfolios to deliver a holistic response; supporting families affected by violence; and ensuring the service system is responsive, integrated and innovative.
Strengthening the SFCU will increase the ability for SFCU employees to use data to inform policies, programs and services going forward. It will also result in increased operational efficiencies and greater support for children in government and non-government schools and Child and Family Centres. The intended outcomes of this action include:
- Strategic review of all reported family violence matters;
- Identification of ‘high risk’ family violence cases;
- Identification of key activities required to support victims and children affected by family violence; and
- Coordination of resources to hold perpetrators to account.